The collection of rocks in the National Rock Garden is a window into the Geosciences and to the story of Australia’s journey through time. The following pages are an introduction to some geological concepts with links to more information and activities to try.
Geoscience is the study of the Earth, how it works and how it has evolved (changed) over billions of years. It studies the rocks and minerals that form the solid earth as well as the systems that recycle these materials through the soils (regolith), water, atmosphere and biosphere, and into the deep earth via the processes of plate tectonics.
Rocks are important because our complex technological civilization depends on metals, energy, and materials provided by the Earth. The rocks also record the awesome story of how our planet has been a viable home to life for over three billion years.
